this twisted world
by grandis-dans-les-bois
Summary: Kakashi wishes and loses. Minato, Rin, and Obito see the world in their hands. Rinse and repeat.


**Important:** This contains violent and mature themes for some. Please do not read if you think this will make you uncomfortable. Mild cursing.

* * *

He knew something was wrong when he woke up.

To start off, there was the whole 'waking up' thing.

 _He wasn't supposed to wake up._

Finally, after all those years of heartbreak and pain and _maybe he was being a coward but could you blame him after all this time just waiting waiting waiting_

Finally, a blow came close enough at the right time in the right place to kill him _something he wanted all along but couldn't because he's the CopyNin and he's a tool that smashes, that destroys_

Finally, he could see Minato-sensei and his father and Rin and apologize over and over and over _and if that didn't happen well at least he could atone for his sins_

He was dead. He's supposed to be dead. Deceased. Gone.

Never-to-see-this-world-again.

Yet here he was...fucking _alive._

Wearing an old shirt and pants that he thought he had thrown away, in a bed that was familiar but different, staring up at a ceiling that was definitely not his own.

Feeling smaller than usual and less tired then as he always is and wait _where was his Icha Icha book?_

He supposed it doesn't matter. Yet that book was always with him, at least in the stash under the mattress which was the only place he could keep them without the landlord taking it away ( _You mean Hitori-san? But she never comes into my room, though she does occasionally invite me to hers to drink tea and talk-_ )

What?

With a sense of dread, hatred, and tiredness, Kakashi Hatake woke up.

And immediately wished he hadn't.

 _No, wait, why am I here? Breathing, but dead dead_

He wasn't supposed to be here.

 _So what happened? I died, they told me I would, and I did and I was happy_

 _But it never lasts won't last deserve it don't I_

Last he remembered was...fighting...someone?

 _Wait Sharingan gone I never wanted it anyway maybe I am dead and this is a dream_

He didn't remember. He found himself not caring.

 _(Sharingan? you mean like the Uchiha?)_

 _Not a very good one is it if it brought me to here with the cracks and stains and I don't know exactly where this is_

 _(what do you mean?)_

 _Exactly, at least_

 _So maybe a nightmare but then I would have the red red red eye_

 _(we're at home, duh)_

That ceiling looks familiar. He feels like he should recognize it.

 _eyes? eye_

 _(of course you should recognize it. it's where you live, remember?)_

 _I want to leave and I want to go away whats going on what the fucking hell is going on_

 _shit shit shit I can see its supposed to be dark or_

 _(you curse too much)_

 _a genjutsu? kai kai kai kai_

 _Kai_

 _Nothings happening pain maybe_

 _(no, wait...)_

 _Never liked that picture anyway careful don't cut yourself but that's the entire point_

 _Still the same_

 _(are you crazy?)_

 _what do I do wait to go away go away_

 _I'm supposed to be dead_

 _dead_

 _dea_

 _de_

 _d_

 _deadeadeadeeadeadeaeeadeaedeadaedeaedeaddd-_

 _(what are you talking about!?)_

A swelling of hatred and confusion and _whyamInotdead_ and Kakashi expelled all his chakra in one burst, lightning burn burn burn and look it fell fell fell like KannabiBridge

 _(what's that?)_

and the walls collapsed and he smiled

 _(wait, stop, you're going to hurt everyone else)_

A surge of annoyance, but the voice wouldn't go away so irritably he reeled in his chakra but whatever, this should be enough anyway

 _(who are you?)_

-and maybe he'd stay dead, this time around.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late!" A voice yelled out, a young boy panting as he skidded to a stop in the clearing. "I had to help Hitori-san with her groceries and-" He stopped and looked around. 'Wait, where's Bakashi?"

"What did I say about name calling, Obito?" A yellow haired man admonished gently, though there was a slightly worried undertone. "Rin and I haven't seen Kakashi this morning. I wonder if he's okay?"

"Hell yeah!" Obito cheered, thrusting a fist in the air. "Now Kakashi-teme can't tell me off for being late!"

"What did I just say?" Minato shook his head but didn't say much more as Obito ran about his other student, Rin, exclaiming about beating Kakashi.

 _Speaking of his other student..._

After ten minutes of waiting, Minato was worried.

He had known Sakumo's son since he had become his jounin sensei. He had grown to love the brat, and liked to think he knew the boy very well.

Kakashi was never late (Minato remembers a time when he came to training, before there were Rin and Obito, with a bad fever, coughing up a storm and shivering). Kakashi had been obsessed with the shinobi rules ever since _that_ event, and lateness was definitely not allowed.

"Alright, team!" Minato clapped his hands. "We'll have to continue without Kakashi today."

"Is he alright, sensei?" Rin asked.

"I'm sure he's fine." He gave a reassuring smile.

 _Right?_

* * *

They found out only a day later that Kakashi was in the hospital because his apartment collapsed.

Minato had heard first, called in by the Sandaime himself to listen to a carefully worded explanation that his student (his apprentice since five or six-) was in the intensive care unit. No, he was not allowed to go yet, he needed to hear this. An investigation has started to be conducted, and the first thing they found was that there were hints of raw, lightning natured chakra. It was in the wreckage and laced in Kakashi's chakra system. They haven't identified it yet. It only affected Kakashi's apartment, none of the other tenants were hurt-

And Minato was gone, through the window.

It was the day after that when Minato told the rest of team.

The esteemed Yellow Flash had bags under his eyes, and Rin didn't doubt that he had spent most of the night at Kakashi's side. Even Obito stilled at the news, and an uncharacteristically grim look appeared. He quietly asked if they could see him, for once not calling him any names.

Her sensei only nodded, and, with little warning, grabbed their shoulders and teleported them to the front of an unknown building (even to Rin who has been training to become a medic and _wait did that sign say intensive care_ ).

They entered a room eerily silent. There was a receptionist, and he didn't look up from the papers he was going through when a stretcher burst through a set of side doors, laden with a heavily sweating woman and a pair of focused medics.

They were also silent, save for the woman's groans and whimpers, and a shiver went down Rin's spine.

"Excuse me?" Minato approached the receptionist, ignoring a medic who rushed by to open the doors for the stretcher.

"Yes?" His gazed stayed on the papers.

"We're here to see H-Hatake Kakashi."

"Didn't I already tell you yesterday?"

"They moved him."

Silence, an irritated sigh that made her want to punch the man-

"Down the hall and up the first staircase to the left, door says 'Private Ward, Ade Mai'."

They traipsed silently to the room, passing by three more stretchers, two wheelchairs, and a person who yelled at them that _'They're coming! They're coming-get away get away-'_ and proceeded to slap at anyone who came near.

He was through a wooden door, somehow looking ominous in comparison to the rest of the shining metal.

Minato went first, Rin next, and Obito last. She absently wondered what this meant about their levels of bravery, but became more occupied with attempting to peek through the curtains that sectioned off six areas to find Kakashi.

As one medic left a cubicle, she heard Obito give an audible gasp as they saw a person with a half melted face sleeping peacefully. Minato was quietly asking the head medic, a tired yet imposing woman, where Kakashi was.

She led them to the middle curtain, patterned with deep blue diamonds, and swept it aside to let them through.

This time it was Rin's turn to gasp as she caught sight of the prone figure of their teammate.

There was a series of angry red burns running up his neck and to one eye.

The rest was heavily bandaged, and a tube disappeared between the wrappings into what Rin assumed to be his mouth. His arm was supported by a stiff sling, wrapped firmly with chakra cloth, and Rin knew it was bad.

She had never seen a wound that needed to be surrounded with chakra to heal in all her (admittedly germinant) career.

The rest of Kakashi was covered by a blanket, but she could just make out the heavy bandages there too. The little skin visible was either pasty or streaked with red. His visible eye was closed. The beeping from the machine in the corner and the glowing green light were the only things that assured Rin that he was still alive, though to Obito they only seemed to be creepy.

Overall, it made Rin want to vomit. This was _Kakashi._ The acclaimed genius. Her crush. The chuunin-nearing-jounin. Her teammate. The one with no weakness. The one she never thought to see in a hospital _nearly dead_.

"What happened?" Obito demanded, looking pale.

Minato sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Apparently his apartment collapsed."

Rin raised an eyebrow, and Obito flopped down on the nearby chair.

"That's the official story," Minato offered, and Rin nodded, knowing that meant he couldn't say much more. Obito seemed ready to protest, but Rin elbowed him.

"We'll wait," She answered for both of them.

And they waited.

* * *

Kakashi woke up... _again._

Instead of the overwhelming confusion from before, this time he only felt numb.

 _It didn't work._

Nothing.

He tried to move and found that everything was aching.

 _well...at least he came close?_

 _(you're crazy.)_

 _...huh?_

 _(you tried to kill me!)_

Kakashi frowned. Who was that talking?

 _(who do you think, idiot? you're insane. you-)_

Kakashi receded into the depths of his mind trying to avoid the voice. Damn, it was annoying.

 _(shut up. I'm trying to figure out how to fix the mess you got us into)_

 _(you nearly killed us, you know)_

 _Good._

 _(not good! you wasted the best chance you're ever gonna get to redeem yourself. now everyone's going to die again, and we'll have a front row seat)_

 _What?_

 _(you heard me. you killed them. you killed them!)_

The voice was getting louder.

 _(how could you fail so horribly? now they're all dead dead_

 _deaddeadeadeadeadkilled)_

Suddenly a burning pain overcame him, molten lead pouring into his bones and he screamed, arching his back high. He dimly could hear panicked mumbles and calls, and someone saying his name over and over.

 _Kakashi!_

At least it wasn't that annoying voice.

 _Kakashi! Come on, wake up!_

But he didn't want to.

 _Kakashi, please! We're all worried!_

So?

 _Kashi!_

Never mind. It's just as annoying.

"Kashi!"

Irritably, he opened his eye, ready to snap at the voice that sounded too close for comfort.

A split second too late, he realized the voice was recognizable, and it smelled like a hospital.

Minato, the man who died over 15 years ago, was staring right at him, concern and worry in his blue eyes.

Kakashi shut his eye tight, ignoring the surprised exclamation and the worried questions of _Is he okay?_ and _Come on Kakashi, wake up again!_

This wasn't possible.

Vaguely, Kakashi could recall first waking up, and then sparks. A lot of them.

He tensed as a hand fell on his shoulder, and suddenly felt all the bandages covering his form. He became aware of the dull pain in his stomach and Obito's eye-

 _Eyes._

 _He has two._

 _Obito is gone._

Kakashi lurched up, glancing around wildly.

And there was blonde and black and-

Kakashi felt laughter bubbling up inside him as he took in a sight he knew he would never see again. He wasn't dead, his old team was alive, what next? He didn't really care, if-

"Kakashi?" A smaller hand touched his shoulder hesitantly. "Are you okay?" Nohara Rin eyed the laughing form of her teammate cautiously, more than a little frightened.

Kakashi snarled, suddenly halting his mirth, and latched onto Rin's hand, who tried to jump out of the way. Minato came forward but stopped just shy of the bed. Kakashi shook his head and bared his teeth, and Obito came into view.

"Kakashi-teme!" The boy shouted. "Let go of Rin-chan!"

The time traveler _snapped._

* * *

Minato strode through the doors, setting his shoulders with a confidence he didn't feel. His former genin followed him, both shifting as if they still were baby shinobi.

The Yellow Flash couldn't suppress fondness at the sight. It's been so long since his kids were tiny and fragile and immature, Rin shy and quiet with Obito temperamental and always arguing with-

His stomach dropped as he was once again reminded of why he was here. His youngest student, his former prodigy, his (though he would never admit it) favorite was now...Minato sometimes regretted having team reunions.

They were a good time to catch up with each other's lives but always ended with a visit to this place. Minato wrinkled his nose as they passed by yet another chakra enforced door.

The three finally were led to a small room, which held a small window into another room, covered by plastic. The other room was a nearly blinding light compared to the grayscale of the place where he, Obito, and Rin were in.

Minato tried his best to ignore the straitjacket on the form inside the white room and the scratches vaguely taking on the shape of words. He took a deep breath and summoned up a strained smile.

"Hello, Kakashi."

* * *

 _The figures whispered and muttered and shifted uncomfortably._

 _One watched the procession continue to argue amongst themselves with growing irritation."This is completely wrong!" one snapped, glaring at the floor. "We need to fix this!"_

 _"Can we?" another countered. "We already toed the line by putting him there in the first place-"_

 _"We can just put someone else in," someone suggested._

 _"No! Then we'd make them angry!"_

 _An eyebrow twitched as the yelling continued. "Silence!" they demanded._

 _The room quieted. "Let thy speak."_

 _"We will take him out," The figure on the pedestal barely moved, their soft voice carrying surprisingly well. "And put him somewhere else, suppressing his memories and reducing the chance of this happening again."_

 _No one dared to move after they finished, knowing that any protest would not be taken mercifully._

 _"In the meantime, destroy the defect world."_

* * *

AN: This can be seen as a prologue to my other fic, _qui vivra verra._


End file.
